Creative Director, MAI Creative Studio Lead

Microsoft AI • Redmond, WA

13d

About The Position

Microsoft AI (MAI) is building AI that empowers people, organizations, and society. We develop models, systems, and experiences for ambitious AI innovations, using cutting-edge research, engineering, and infrastructure. Our teams focus on foundation models, reasoning systems, agents, AI infrastructure, and product experiences, bringing AI capabilities to millions. MAI operates like a startup within Microsoft, aiming to push AI boundaries towards Humanist Superintelligence – ultra-capable, controllable, safety-aligned systems aligned with human values. Our goal is to create AI that amplifies human potential while ensuring human control, benefiting society through advancements in science, education, and global well-being. The team is led by Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, and comprises leading researchers, engineers, and product builders who have made significant contributions to modern AI.

We are seeking a Creative Director to lead the creative vision for Microsoft AI. This role involves establishing a visual and narrative point of view for AI experiences and guiding a team to execute this vision across models, products, marketing, campaigns, and physical/live events. This is a hybrid role requiring the skills of a world-class art director, producer instincts, storytelling ability, and leadership experience with creative teams and production. The ideal candidate will have a strong connection to contemporary culture to ensure work is relevant and resonant. They should be adept at critiquing design elements, refining product screens, and briefing launch campaigns across various platforms. The role also involves partnering with Operations to structure the team's work, define its mission and goals, and establish clear processes for effective execution. We are looking for someone who remains a maker, not just a manager, capable of jumping into the work, building schedules, sketching concepts, or refining pixels, while also setting vision, building teams, and collaborating with executives. This range of skills is a defining trait for this role.

Requirements

• Master's Degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Human Computer Interaction, User Experience, Interaction Design, or related field AND 6+ years experience working in product or service design OR Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Human Computer Interaction, User Experience, Interaction Design, or related field AND 8+ years experience working in product or service design OR equivalent experience (e.g., demonstrated experience working in product or service design or using design thinking to solve problems).
• 3+ years people management experience and/or agency experience.

Nice To Haves

• Master's Degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Human Computer Interaction, User Experience, Interaction Design, or related field AND 8+ years experience working in product or service design OR Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Human Computer Interaction, User Experience, Interaction Design, or related field AND 12+ years experience working in product or service design OR equivalent experience (e.g., demonstrated experience working in product or service design or using design thinking to solve problems).
• 5+ years people management experience.
• 6+ years experience shipping products and/or delivering to customers as a result of an end-to-end design process
• Experience directing creative for AI or emerging-technology products
• Have exceptional presentation skills and the gravitas to champion bold creative ideas with senior leadership
• Experience leading and growing and managing creative teams, including hiring, mentoring, and managing multidisciplinary talent (designers, writers, art directors, producers)
• Comfort spanning product and marketing — you don't see "brand" and "product design" as separate disciplines, and you have experience (or a strong point of view) on both
• Real cultural fluency — active engagement with music, entertainment, fashion, or adjacent creative communities, ideally evidenced by projects, collaborations, or ventures outside of a traditional day job
• A track record of shipping ambitious creative work at scale, ideally including work that's been publicly recognized (awards, press, cultural impact)
• Experience directing physical/experiential work, installations, events, retail, or spatial design

Responsibilities

• Set the creative vision for Microsoft AI — the visual language, tone, and narrative point of view that shows up consistently across product, brand, and marketing
• Art direct at the highest level — reviewing, shaping, and elevating design work across visual identity, motion, typography, and UI, with an eye that can tell the difference between "good" and genuinely distinctive
• Stay hands-on — building work back schedules, sketch a direction, design a key visual, or push a concept forward when the moment calls for it, rather than directing from a distance
• Lead and grow a visually-focused creative team — hiring, mentoring, and directing creative designers and art directors, and fostering an environment where world-class visual work thrives
• Shape story and language alongside the visuals — partnering closely with the Creative Strategy and Brand Writing leads so that strategy, words, and images are developed together as equal parts of one idea
• Build and leverage relationships with top-tier creative agencies, production partners, and creative talent
• Bridge product and marketing — ensuring the creative thread is unbroken from the first-run product experience to the campaign that introduces it to the world
• Design across digital and physical — from in-product moments and digital campaigns to launch events, physical installations, and experiential brand moments
• Partner cross-functionally with product, engineering, research, and marketing leadership to make sure creative ambition and product reality stay in sync
• Represent the creative studio internally and externally — presenting work, building conviction, and advocating for craft at every level of the organization

Benefits

• Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior